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Readers write: July 28, 2014 issue
Church should fund prison visitation In Matthew 25, Jesus says, “[A]nd I was in prison and you visited me.” In Hebrews 13:3, the author writes, “Remember those in prison as if they were your fellow prisoners” (NIV). Now Jesus did not make a command of such, but it was a pretty good suggestion that we…
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Engaging the challenge
This winter on an evening journey to the airport, I encountered a substantial snow storm. Strong winds drove heavy snow across the roads. Even with my eyes wide open I was blinded, unable to see the front of my car. I inched forward without any idea where the road was. I didn’t know if I…
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An intentional generosity plan
When our boys were younger, I wanted them to see how much we were giving to our church. I wanted to model cheerful generosity, and to demonstrate that this was normal and very intentional. If the truth be told, I was secretly hoping that our generosity would be contagious, as well. Practising intentionality in giving…
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A milestone birthday
“I’m turning 60 and I need help,” I wrote in the invitation to my recent party. I was disquieted by the approach of this milestone birthday, beset with, and surprised by, regrets, laments and some form of existential anxiety. Still, the passage of time continues whatever our reluctance towards what it brings. And a birthday…
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Fad or future?
“Look outside,” Dan blurted through the phone before my mother could even say hello. She walked over to the front window and was astonished to see Dan sitting in his car parked in our driveway. He was beaming with pride as he spoke to her via his new state-of-the-art mobile phone. Our entire family raced…
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The power of change in the local circle
The auditorium tingled as the keynote speaker took the stage. A tall black guy—a CNN personality, New York Times best-selling author, and former White House staffer who advised President Obama on green economics—he had a coast-to-coast smile and wit surpassed only by his charm. I can't honestly remember what he said, but I remember the…
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New school greets returning children
The old school has been burned to the ground and in its place stands a newly constructed, brilliant red building, a symbol of a new beginning for this Old Order Mennonite community that reflects its hope for, and commitment to, its children. It has been over a year since Manitoba’s Child and Family Services (CFS)…
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PeopleCare Inc. lives by its name
Brent Gingerich, the third generation of the Schlegel-Gingerich clan to helm the PeopleCare Inc. family of long-term care facilities, remembers travelling after high school with a friend in south and southeast Asia. In Bangladesh, the two volunteered for a month in an orphanage, the same one his friend had lived in before he was adopted…
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Writing as a spiritual journey
Writing as a spiritual journey and what it means for writers and readers was the topic of a July 11 authors forum at House of James Christian bookstore. Drawing on a variety of experiences, three Mennonite book authors addressed “writing as a spiritual journey” as they discussed their books and the process of writing them.…
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Live in colour . . . eat chocolate
Many churches have an inherent aversion to change, according to Vic Thiessen. The same is true for the characters of the film Pleasantville (1998). Thiessen, Mennonite Church Canada’s executive minister of church engagement and chief administrative officer, as well as Canadian Mennonite’s resident film critic, used Pleasantville to talk about how liberating change can be…
